Baldcypress, an Excellent Tree Choice for Planting

Baldcypress, an Excellent Tree Choice for Planting Testimony after testimony from urban foresters and park administrators support the up and coming bald cypress or  Taxodium distichum  as the latest trend in selecting the best landscaping tree for many locations. Lawns, parks and street right-of-ways are growing baldcypress in profusion. Common baldcypress is an evergreen but acts deciduous as it drops its twiggy leaves in the fall. You can call it a deciduous conifer. The rich green color of the needles turn to copper orange then to brown and makes for one of autumns best colors just before twig and needle fall. Careful When Wet In wet soil conditions, the bald cypress will form sections of root growing above ground to gather oxygen. These knobby cypress knees can occur 10 to 15 beyond the spread of the plant. Cypress knees do not generally form on drier sites. On the Street Cities from Charlotte, NC, Dallas, TX to Tampa, FL currently use it as a street tree and it should be used more extensively throughout its range in urban landscapes according to most landscape professionals. Baldcypress can be clipped into a formal hedge, creating a wonderful soft screen or hedge. Art Plotnik,  The Uban Tree Book, says as a street tree, the  baldcypress  is getting rave recommendations and increasing use. Tree professionals of New Orleans, Charlotte,  Tampa  and Dallas are among others that put it on the streets. Ralph Sievert, Minneapolis MN Urban Forester who is respected as the â€Å"Johnny Appleseed† of  baldcypress, recommends it highly in his state and outside of the southern United States. Growth Bald cypress trees grow best when they have their own space and can potentially grow up to 2 feet per year. Bald cypress require sun (at least 1/2 day). They make a great screen when planted in groups and can be planted within 15 feet of a house.

Humility and Humiliation

Humility and Humiliation Humility and Humiliation Humility and Humiliation By Maeve Maddox I heard a television interview subject express compassion for previously independent Gulf Coast fishermen whod had to go through the humility of accepting financial help. The word wanted in that context was humiliation, not humility. Wanting to see if it were a common error, I did a web search. Sure enough, I found more examples: †¦each member of our family suffered humility and loss of face in public †¦having to submit to the humility of having to ask for new shoes †¦the humility of having to ask for so many payment options †¦hope they never know the humility of having to ask for help. In some religious writing the words humility and humiliation may overlap, but in modern secular usage, the words have distinct meanings. humiliation: the act of humiliating or condition of being humiliated; abasement. humility: The quality of being humble or having a lowly opinion of oneself; meekness, lowliness: the opposite of pride or haughtiness. Humiliation is a bad thing. Its a painful emotion that we feel when weve been shamed. No one should be treated in such an unfeeling, bureaucratic way as to be humiliated. Humility is a good thing. It is a virtue that has become very rare in a culture that even goes so far as to begin sentences with me and myself. A humble person gives credit where its due. A humble person acknowledges others and respects their dignity, talents, and opinions. Humility is not weakness; its a spirit of self-examination that prevents one from becoming selfish and arrogant. The word humiliation applies to a negative state of debasement inflicted by persons or conditions outside oneself. Verbs that go with the word humility are not suffer or endure, but practice or cultivate. NOTE: One often sees the word humbleness, but it seems wasteful to use a -ness form when the distinctive abstract noun humility exists. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Misused Words category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:When to Use â€Å"That,† â€Å"Which,† and â€Å"Who†50 Idioms About Fruits and Vegetables25 Favorite Portmanteau Words

Strategic Management Pharmaceutical Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Strategic Management Pharmaceutical - Essay Example Pfizer Inc. pays a special attention to the product mix and geographical location (Johnson, Scholes 1998). Pfizer Inc. follows two pathways: growth with the same products in the same markets and development of new products for the same markets. Pfizer Inc follows vertical-integration which allows the company to integrate upwards. Also, growth strategy involves HRM and resource location aimed to meet the highest industry requirements and customers' demands. It was stated above that marketing departments work more closely with R&D departments to ensure that the products which are developed are those which cater for the changing needs of target customers and different needs of varying customer segments. In recent years, high failure rates in the introduction of new products have led departments to be very risk averse, with most 'new' products emerging being merely extensions of existing product lines and not truly new and innovative offerings. Its best selling and innovative products in clude Lipitor, Diflucan, Zithromax, Viagra, Celebrex etc.

T-cells are MHC-Restricted Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

T-cells are MHC-Restricted - Essay Example T-helper cells are so named because they produce and secrete protein molecules called cytokines that perform various functions within the immune system that direct and 'help' the immune response. Within the Helper T-cell group are two further subsets known as Th1 (or type 1) and Th2 (or type 2). Cytotoxic T-cells play a central role in the destruction of tumour cells and virally-infected cells, and are also thought to have an important role in transplant rejection. Differentiation of T-cells into CD4+ and CD8+ cells begins in the thymus during T-cell development. However, cells only become fully differentiated mature cells in the peripheral lymphoid system, during an active immune response. All T-cells originate in the marrow of long bones (such as the femur), and are derived from hematopoetic stem cells. Hematopoetic progenitors that derive from these stem cells travel to the thymus via the lymphatic system. Upon reaching the thymus they divide to generate T-cell precursors known as immature thymocytes (Schwarz B A, Bhandoola A. 2006). Approximately 98% of these precursor cells die in the thymus without becoming fully-differentiated T-cells, due to selection processes called positive and negative selection. The 2% of cells that survive selection eventually leave the thymus to become mature T-cells. At the beginning of the selection process, all thy... Thymocytes that bind the MHC-antigen complex with sufficient affinity (binding strength) are allowed to survive and move to the next stage of development. Thymocytes which do not bind with adequate affinity receive a chemical signal which causes them to undergo apoptosis, a process also known as programmed cell death, in which cells die in a way that cannot cause harm to the host. This first round of selection is called positive selection, because cells which bind with affinity are allowed to survive. During this process another type of selection occurs: cells which bind with MHC class II molecules develop into CD4+ cells, and cells which bind with MHC class I molecules develop into CD8+ cells. Those cells that survive the first round of selection migrate to the boundary between the cortex and medulla of the thymus. In the medulla, they are presented again with MHC molecules that present self-antigens. This time, the complex is presented by dendritic cells and macrophages, two types of antigen-presenting cells. In this situation, cells which bind with very strong affinity receive a death-inducing signal, and undergo apoptosis, while cells that do not bind with strong affinity are allowed to survive and continue development. It is at this stage, called negative selection, that the majority of developing T-cells die. Negative selection is a particularly important part of the development process, as it prevents the development of T-cells which react to self-antigens, and thus prevents the development of auto-immune disease (Baldwin TA, 2004). The cells that survive both positive and negative selection are mature nave T-cells, which then leave the thymus and begin to circulate in the lymphatic

Water Pollution Essay Example for Free

Water Pollution Essay Water pollution refers to the contamination of water sources with harmful materials such as sediments, organic wastes, minerals, thermal pollutants, nutrients, toxic chemicals as well as other hazardous compounds. Water pollution makes water not to be safe for cooking, drinking, farming and fishing (Sharma, 2009). 2. Where does this pollution come from? The primary sources of water pollution include agricultural, municipal and industrial wastes. The municipalities, industries and agricultural sectors increasingly discharge harmful compounds into water sources thus contributing to water pollution. These toxic compounds end up in lakes and deprive aquatic organisms of the oxygen which is critical for their survival. Human activities such as mining also contribute to water pollution. Mineral elements such as chromium, copper, iron, nickel, platinum, tin and zinc are released into water sources during mining (Sharma, 2009). 3. What impacts can it have on wildlife and overall water quality? Since the organic wastes need oxygen for decomposition, the aquatic wildlife is endangered. The phytoplankton population which forms the primary sources of food for aquatic animals is greatly deprived of oxygen which they use in photosynthesis. The decreased levels of phytoplankton will imply a reduced number of wildlife in water. Excessive amounts of elements released into water sources during mining such as platinum and chromium inhibit sunlight penetration that also reduces the photosynthetic capacity of phytoplankton. The important quality of water such as the allowance of light penetration is therefore reduced significantly with pollution (Sharma, 2009). 4. What impacts can it have on human health? Water pollution impacts human health by causing diseases such as bilharzias, cholera and dysentery because dirty water hosts the water pathogens causing these diseases. The mineral elements deposited to water sources especially the heavy metals such mercury can have serious health impact among developing children. The cognitive development process is delayed with mercury poisoning. Other water pollutants such as chlorinated dioxins and furans are highly carcinogenic (Sharma, 2009). 5. What are ways to decrease the amount or impact? Water pollution can be reduced through encouraging individuals to be responsible while handling water and treating sewage. Water pollution regulations such as common-law principles, federal and state statutes and administrative rules are some of the ways in which the impact of water pollution can be reduces. The offenders who go against the law should be prosecuted and this will reduce the incidences of water pollution (Sharma, 2009). Reference: Sharma, P. D (2009). Fundamentals of our environment, its problems and control measures. Retrieved July 20, 2010 from http://knol. google. com/k/fundamentals-of-our- environmentalpollutions#%2828%29E%2829%29_Water_pollution_and_its_prev ention_and_control%283A%29

The Character of Marek Shimerda in My Antonia :: My Antonia Essays

The Character of Marek Shimerda in My Antonia      Ã‚  Ã‚   In Willa Cather's novel, My Antonia, Marek Shimerda is starved for attention because he is constantly ignored due to his mental retardation. It is solely because of his handicap and the assumption of his inability to help out with the farming and household chores that his family views him as helpless which results in Marek's strange and awkward actions. He is presented as an ill minded young man throughout the novel, repeatedly excused, and resides in the shadow of his healthy, fully functional older brother, Ambrosh Shimerda.    Marek is a token character that is simply taken for granted. He is portrayed as strange and useless. When Jim Burden and his family first meet the Bohemians, he is approached by Marek, the second eldest son. "As he approached us, he began to make uncouth noises, and held up his hands to show us his fingers, which were webbed to the first knuckle, like a duck's foot. When he saw me draw back, he began to crow delightedly" (Cather, 24). Everyone who encounters this poor boy instantly views him as `crazy'. All of his actions are presented as strange. "The crazy boy, seeing the food, began to make soft, gurgling noises and stroked his stomach" (Cather, 60), and evidently he is. "The crazy boy went with them [outside], because he did not feel the cold. I believed he felt the cold as much as any one else, but he liked to be thought insensible to it. He was always coveting distinction, poor Marek" (Cather, 82)!    Because of everyone's inability to understand and relate to Marek, he is pitied and constantly excused. After Jim`s reaction to Marek`s webbed fingers, Marek begins to express himself, maybe even trying to communicate with what could be a new friend, but he is immediately quieted. ""Hoo, hoo-hoo, hoo-hoo!" like a rooster. His mother scowled and said sternly, "Marek!" then spoke rapidly to Krajiek in Bohemian. "She wants me to tell you he won't hurt anybody, Mrs. Burden. He was born like that..." No one bothers to befriend this young man or even tries to talk to him throughout the entire book. Although he is obviously mentally challenged, it is not evident that any one of the characters in Cather's novel tries to reach out to this young man or teach him to be a helpful resource around the Shimerdas' household.

Inft Adult Learning Theory

inft Adult Learning Theory Dustin Stamey Adult Learning Theory Summary Non Traditional college students make up a large percent of the total population. There are a few categories that they fall into. The first category is workers. Non-traditional students might have either lost their job or are doing training to move up the ladder from their current position. The second category is military veterans. After years in the service, their professional education took a back seat. All they know is military service. For them, it will be really hard to acclimate into civilian life.The third category is adults that just received their GED and are now pursuing a life in higher education. It is important to provide for the adult learners so that they can thrive. M. S. Knowles said that there are four principles that characterize adult learners. â€Å"1. They are self directed, take responsibility for their own actions, and resist having information arbitrarily imposed on them. 2. They have an extensive depth of experience, which serves as a critical component in the foundation of their self identity. 3. They are ready to learn.As most adult learners return to college voluntarily, they are likely to actively engage in the learning process. 4. They are task motivated. Adult students returning to college attend for a specific goal and the primary component of their motivational drive tends to be internal† (Knowles, 1984) According to Schraw and Moshman there are three â€Å"Metacognitive Frameworks† that help people build their own learning theories. These would include Tacit, Informal, and Formal. Some of the metacognitive skills are built over time, such is the case with tacit and informal theory.These are made from educators and very repetitive jobs that do not require critical thinking. One of the biggest problems with adult learners is their gap in education. The adult has learned practical education instead of learning academic knowledge. Practical knowle dge can be used in everyday tasks like at work. Academic knowledge is not. There are ways to help the individual bridge the gap and make connections between the two. For example, an introductory writing class might show differences in practical and academic. The adult learners will also need a detailed syllabus. A set of instructions are very important.Adult learners are very goal oriented and need to see a light at the end of the tunnel. Educators need to use strategies to invite the adult learner to want to learn. Using these strategies make it easier to adapt to a cognitive and critical thinking mindset. Article 2 Adult learning Theory for the Twenty-First Century Educators want to help facilitate learning. They must learn more about their students in order to do this through â€Å"embodied learning, spirituality, and narrative†. (Merriam, pg 93) Adult learning is a very complex problem and cannot be boiled down to something simple.It is forever changing. There have been m any advances since Mezirows idea of transformational learning. (Merriam, pg 94) A bigger value has been placed on exactly where the education is taking place like work, home, and school. There are numerous factors that can affect each place like size, lighting, and background activities. There has been an increased attention to learning context. There finally has been an acknowledgment that learning is a â€Å"multidimensional Phenomenon†. (Merriam, pg 95) It used to be that learning was taking in facts and converting it to knowledge.Now it is said that learning involves the body, mind, spirit, and emotions. The mind (brain) changes when it is in learning mode. There is a mind body connection. There is also a connection between life experiences and mental capacity. Reflection I have read both articles completely. For the most part, I feel that they adequately describe the adult learner. There are many options that one could use to apply this to their own lives. Personally, th e article Adult Learning Theory: Applications to Non-Traditional College Students really hit home. I fall into almost all of their categories.I have a full time job and even though I haven’t lost my job yet, I feel that a college education can help me further my career. From the working standpoint, repetitiveness of my daily tasks does not contribute to a higher standard of learning. I also fall into the category for veterans. I was in the Air force for 7 years. I can relate to military veterans. Most of them are deployed a long time and school is not an option. Most of them choose to wait till they get out to start school. I had to wait from 2003 till now to get started in school and the gap in education is killing me.Liberty University has a fantastic grasp on what I need personally to succeed in school. The articles touch base on starting school with the right mind set and environment. With the gap in education that I have it was important to see the correlation between be ginning (starter) classes and making the connection between practical knowledge and academic knowledge. This will really help me. A detailed syllabus helps me keep track of what’s due and when I need to turn it in. I took it a step further and made a calendar of assignments and turn in dates.My wife has also been enlisted in keeping me on the right path and on time. One of the articles spoke about adults being goal oriented. This is absolutely right in my case, and is a product of my own design. I need to see an end to a means. There has to be a light at the end of the tunnel for me. The article gives the impression that goal orientation is a downside to learning and I do not agree. The second article honestly was a bad choice. There was not a lot of information on how I can improve on my adult learning. It was more of a generalization about another publication than actual facts.Having said that, we will see if there is anything that I can use The article states that adult le arning is very complex. I could not agree with them more. In an average day, I work 9 hours at my job, come home, start dinner, run errands, and spend quality time with my son. It is hard to find time for studying and course work. The thing that it is not just the time constraints that get me. My environment does not help in any way. It’s dimly lit and has a loud surrounding. This makes it a little hard to concentrate. If I had a bad day at work then I probably won’t be in the right mood to study.Over all, both articles were helpful in understanding the dilemmas that an adult learner faces. Institutions of higher learning have a grasp on how to cater to these individuals. Although each person is different, instituting the best practices works well for adult learners. Dustin Stamey References Kenner, C & Weinerman J, (Spring 2011). Adult Learning Theory: Applications to Non-Traditional College Students. (41. 2), pp. 87-96 Merriam B, S. , (2008). Adult Learning Theory fo r the Twenty-First Century. . 2008 (Issue 119), pp. 93-98

Fashion: Color and Type Your Response

Components of Fashion The Lesson Activity will help you meet these educational goals: Content Knowledge? You will define the key components of fashion: the elements of design and the principles of design. Inquiry? You will conduct online research, in which you will collect information and communicate your results in written form. 21st Century Skills ? You will apply creativity and innovation. Directions You will evaluate these activities yourself.Please save this document before ginning the lesson and keep the document open for reference during the lesson. Type your answers directly in this document for all activities. Self-checked Activities Read the instructions for the following activities and type in your responses. At the end of the lesson, click the link to open the Student Answer Sheet. Use the answers or sample responses to evaluate your own work. Color Wheel a. Use watercolors or water-based gels for this activity.First, take the three primary lord and mix them to make the s econdary colors. Then, mix the primary and the secondary colors to get the tertiary colors. From among the primary, secondary, and tertiary colors, list four warm colors and four cool colors. Apply a few strokes of the mixed colors on paper and scan the paper for submission. Type your response here: On back b. Choose one of the primary colors and use it to make shades and tints. C.Using the shades and tints created in part b, submit sketches or images of two armaments with the shades for bottom wear and the tints for top wear. The garments should have a focal point, vertical lines, and curved lines. Also, name the silhouettes used in each garment. How did you do? Check a box below. Nailed included all of the same ideas as the model response on the Student Answer Sheet. Halfway There?I included most of the ideas in the model response on the Student Not Great?I did not include any of the ideas in the model response on the Student

Simmons Surname Meaning and Family History

Simmons Surname Meaning and Family History The specific etymology of the Simmons surname has been difficult for historians to establish. Several possible origins include: A patronymic surname derived from the Biblical name Simon or Simund, from the Greek form of the Hebrew name Shimon which meant hearkening or listening.A patronymic surname from the personal name Simund, meaning  victorious protector, from the Old Norse  sig, meaning  victory,  and mundr, or protection.  A possible evolution of the name Seaman, meaning navigator or sailor. SIMMONS was the 92nd most common American surname in the 1990 U.S. census but had fallen out of the top 100 common U.S. surnames by the time of the 2000 U.S. census. Surname Origin:  English, German and French Alternate Surname Spellings:  SIMOND, SIMMONDS, SYMONDS, SIMONS, SIMMANCE, SIMMENCE, SEMMENS, SEAMANS Famous People with the Surname SIMMONS Russell Simmons - co-founder of the pioneering hip-hop label, Def JamJean Simmons - English actressRichard Simmons - American fitness trainer Where is the SIMMONS Surname Most Common? The Simmons surname is most prevalent in the United States, according to surname distribution information from  Forebears, where it ranks as the 104th most common last name. It is also somewhat common in England (286th), Australia (342nd) and Wales (377th). Surname distribution maps from  WorldNames PublicProfiler  show the Simmons surname is especially common in the American southeast, including the states of South Carolina, Mississippi, Alabama, West Virginia, North Carolina, Georgia, Louisiana, Arkansas, and Tennessee. Genealogy Resources for the Surname SIMMONS Simmons Family Crest - Its Not What You ThinkContrary to what you may hear, there is no such thing as a Simmons family crest or coat of arms for the Simmons surname.  Coats of arms are granted to individuals, not families, and may rightfully be used only by the uninterrupted male-line descendants of the person to whom the coat of arms was originally granted. SIMMONS DNA ProjectMore than 300 members have joined this project for the Simmons surname (and variants such as Simons) to  work together to find their common heritage through DNA testing and sharing of information. SIMMONS Family Genealogy ForumThis free message board is focused on descendants of Simmons ancestors around the world. Search the forum for posts about your Simmons ancestors, or join the forum and post your own queries.   FamilySearch - SIMMONS GenealogyExplore over 8  million  results from digitized  historical records and lineage-linked family trees related to the Simmons surname on this free website hosted by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. GeneaNet - Simmons RecordsGeneaNet includes archival records, family trees, and other resources for individuals with the Simmons surname, with a concentration on records and families from France and other European countries. The Simmons Genealogy and Family Tree PageBrowse genealogy records and links to genealogical and historical records for individuals with the Simmons surname from the website of Genealogy Today. Ancestry.com: Simmons SurnameExplore over 6.8  million digitized records and database entries, including census records, passenger lists, military records, land deeds, probates, wills and other records for the Simmons surname on the subscription-based website, Ancestry.com- References: Surname Meanings OriginsCottle, Basil.  Penguin Dictionary of Surnames. Baltimore, MD: Penguin Books, 1967.Dorward, David.  Scottish Surnames. Collins Celtic (Pocket edition), 1998.Fucilla, Joseph.  Our Italian Surnames. Genealogical Publishing Company, 2003.Hanks, Patrick and Flavia Hodges.  A Dictionary of Surnames. Oxford University Press, 1989.Hanks, Patrick.  Dictionary of American Family Names. Oxford University Press, 2003.Reaney, P.H.  A Dictionary of English Surnames. Oxford University Press, 1997.Smith, Elsdon C.  American Surnames. Genealogical Publishing Company, 1997.

How to blast through word counts †and get your writing speed up to 1,000 words an hour

How to blast through word counts – and get your writing speed up to 1,000 words an hour How to blast through word counts – and write 1,000 words an hour Word counts are a feature common to business and academic writing alike. ITTs (invitations to tender) commonly specify a word limit for key sections. And while an essay or a doctoral thesis usually come with a word minimum, the reality is that it quickly becomes a target. On the face of it, that should be fine. In practice, it’s often where the problems start. The trouble is that numbers are a distraction, which is one thing you definitely don’t need when you’re trying to produce an important document. How big this distraction is depends on the size of the word target. If numbers are off-putting, big numbers can be paralysing. Watching the figure at the bottom of your screen creep up in ones or twos can easily become a fixation that displaces creativity and original thought. It’s like watching the clock in an exam hall tick by while staring in vain at a question you can’t answer. Fortunately, there is an easy way to tackle this. And, like the problem itself, the answer lies in the way your brain works. Step away from the pain The first step is to realise that we all deal with big, scary numbers all the time. We just don’t notice it. In a typical working day, you somehow manage to fill up around 1,000 minutes (assuming you get up at 6.30am and your head finally hits the pillow at around 11 at night). What you don’t do is tackle them second by second. Just as well, as there are 60,000 of them in that same working day – that’s over 15 MILLION waking seconds every year, not counting weekends. Next, let’s overcome another mental stumbling block – the fact that we know writing is often a complex task. Well, you deal with other complex tasks all the time. Getting through a typical day is actually pretty complex, if you think about it. Even an hour’s commute involves many actions and decisions that, if you considered them as a whole, would seem overwhelming. (Which route do I take? Shall I use the bus or the train? Which train shall I catch? Shall I get a coffee? What type of coffee? You get the picture.) Shift your focus to the content Focusing on a big, scary word count will just make it scarier and scarier. But it’s the act of focusing that’s perhaps the biggest thing making it scary. The most important thing is not the number, it’s the content. The more you focus on the number, the less productive you’re likely to be (often because you’re not writing but thinking and worrying about writing). Not only that, but focusing on the number can dramatically reduce the quality of your output. You end up just counting words, rather than really thinking about whether each word deserves its place in your document. Filling each page becomes your priority, with the result that – if you’re not careful – you end up using longer phrases than you need to, just to pad it out. (Why use ‘helped produce’ when ‘facilitated the production of’ gets you twice as many words?) Counting words reduces each one down to a base value. In an 80,000 word thesis, that value is just 1/80,000 of the final document. This doesn’t only make you casual with the words you choose. It’s also utterly demoralising. Say you have a productive day and produce a thousand words. Not just any thousand words, but a thousand words of engaging prose that will provide real value to your intended audience. When you finish, you sit back and bask in the glow of a job well done. But that glow lasts all of about 15 seconds (if you’re lucky). Taking its place at that point is a kick in the guts, as you realise that you’ve still got 79,000 words to go. Cue depression, demotivation and – probably – paralysing writer’s block. Fortunately, there is another way: forget about the number altogether. I realise that’s easier said than done: you can’t not think of something by trying not to think about it. (If you don’t believe me, try not thinking of a pink elephant now that I’ve put the idea in your head.) But you can take advantage of a quirk of the human brain, which means that you can’t consciously think about more than one thing at the same time. (Multitasking is a myth: deep down, it’s just switching back and forth between tasks, albeit perhaps very quickly.) That means you can forget your Big Scary word count by thinking about something else. Channel your thoughts It also holds the key to transforming your productivity. Because you can dramatically increase how many words you produce by thinking about the information itself, the people who will read what you write, or switching between the two. That in itself is a lot of thinking. So first, you need to separate your research from your writing. Research, thinking and writing all go hand in hand, but they’re not the same thing. Confusing them and trying to do all three at the same time only invites trouble. So turn your attention to the topic in hand and think about it for a few seconds. This is vital if you’re going to write anything valuable and informative. (Although it’s surprising how many documents are apparently produced by focusing on something less important – such as a template or model structure. Believe me, it shows.) I realise that thinking often feels neither productive nor like ‘real work’. To make it feel more concrete, grab a notebook and start scribbling down some ideas about what you might include in the document itself. Don’t worry too much about the words you use or forming them into sentences. Don’t even worry if the ideas are any good. These are just for your use only. Do them in a real-world notebook though, with a pen or pencil (remember those?), rather than on a screen. As you do so, you’ll start to notice gaps in your knowledge, which you can use to direct your research. And as you do more research, you’ll generate more ideas, which you then scribble down in your notebook. It’s a virtuous circle. (I call it the research cycle.) After a while, you’ll have enough information to start to map out a structure. When you get stuck, just think about the reader and what they’re likely to need to know or be interested in. (Note that those are often not the same thing.) In fact, do that even if you’re not stuck. Stepping into your readers shoes is vital if you’re to avoid the risk of writing something that’s of limited value – value that’s perhaps even limited solely to you. Separate out topic ‘chunks’ Then use the same technique to generate ideas and notes for each part of the structure. To make this easier, break down the structure into easily manageable chunks. ‘Manageable’ in this case could just be one mini-topic that produces only three or four paragraphs at first. But if you take five to ten minutes to scribble down the information you’re going to include in those paragraphs (deleting or adding to it based on your knowledge of your reader), you’ll find that ideas start coming thick and fast. The writing part then becomes very, very easy. Just start writing, based on your notes, to produce a few paragraphs. What you’re doing is ‘blocking out’ the information, separating completely from the writing process. The idea is that you get the information down in a form (ie scribbles) that makes it very difficult for you to slip into self-criticism. You can rearrange the notes first, if you need to. Post-it notes might help here. But don’t over-engineer the method and turn it into another distraction. (Just drawing arrows or giving sections numbers might be safer in this respect.) And resist the temptation to edit as you go. Instead, leave each draft section for a few days – or the entire document if it’s fairly short – and edit it in a few days’ time. You’ll be amazed at how many new ideas and improvements you can make then, once you’re viewing it as an editor rather than a writer. (Again, you can’t be both at the same time.) Make it a daily habit This technique works well for one-off documents. But where it really comes into its own is if you make it a daily practice. Because doing that will give you a skill that you can use throughout your career. (The ability to produce original documents quickly and fearlessly is a rare and extremely valuable one.) You’ll have off days, but those are all just part of the process of adjustment. Think of it as building up your writing muscles. As you adjust to the pace, you’ll find yourself getting faster and faster. As you practice, you’ll also start to build up an impressive volume of work. It’s easily possible to produce thousands of words a day with this method. You can use it to write a management report, a term paper, a tender for a contract or a PhD thesis. It works especially well for blog posts too: I wrote the first draft of this post in less than an hour, after 30 minutes of scribbling in my notebook. (I know this because I did it sitting in a London museum that restricts free WiFi access to 60 minutes, but also because I timed it. The original word count was just under 1,200 words. It took exactly 57 minutes and 17 seconds.) Give it a try. Just remember not to think of that pink elephant. Image credit: MP_P / Shutterstock

James Argument on the Belief in God in The Will to Believe and Essay

James Argument on the Belief in God in The Will to Believe and Pascal's Wager - Essay Example Therefore, Pascal concludes that any rational being has a duty to believe in God to attain the infinite happiness. However, this argument by Wager raises many critics from philosophers who view the argument as lacking probability in the life of humanity and more so related to belief. Pascal’s argument is viewed as an extraordinary power. The proponents of this argument explain that even though Wager’s argument might be taken as false and a probability taken on this argument, on at the end we might be wrong and the argument might be true after all. Therefore, no matter how small the probability, Pascal’s argument should be accepted as true according to this argument. However, William James is a serious critic of this argument by Pascal and tries to discredit the hypothesis and the conclusion by Pascal regarding believing in God. For James, belief involves a will to choose among possible options and such an option has to have concrete evidence and our faith in most cases is responsible for shaping future outcomes. Rather than taking forced options that might end up being false, James stresses on being indifferent. The assertion by James is therefore more skeptical one that does not offer concrete proofs as compared to Pascal’s. ... Interestingly James postulates that wherever there is an option where losing the truth away and save ourselves at any rate of believing falsehood by not making up our minds till objective evidence has come, such an option would be worthwhile compared to believing the falsehoods in such circumstances (James, 5). This contradicts Pascal’s argument that it is the nature and obligation of any credible humanity to believe in God, since whether or not God exists would have a greater degree of happiness for such an individual. Consider the postulation below by Pascal. God exists God does not exist Believe in God infinity f1 Do not believe in God f2 f3 Therefore, according to the above table, if God exists and you believe, such an individual has an infinitely happy life to gain. On the other hand if God doe not exist or you do not believe then your utility level in such cases as indicated by f1, f2, f3 is finite (Tabarrok, 123). Therefore, one who believes in God according to Pascal h as more to gain in both cases as compared to those who do not believe in God. Taking James postulation, the second case would apply; where if truly God exists the individual would have to lose everything as the chance of gaining the truth is thrown away in fear of believing in falsehoods (James, 5). It would follow that Pascal’s postulation is more concrete and accurate compared to the postulation by James on the subject of believing in God. The critics of James to Pascal’s work can also be applied to criticize his own work. James explains that humans are recorders and not the makers of truth. In addition James explains that facts are facts and independent of our believing or not (James,